Parshas Shlach[1]

1^st Mamar “Shlach Lecha Anashim”

1. Shlach Lecha Anashim:^[2]
2. Why is Eretz Yisrael praised as the land of milk and honey? What is the significance of milk and honey that it is the main praise of Eretz Yisrael?

In it of itself, there is no great praise involved in mentioning that Eretz Yisrael contains milk and honey. Many lands contain natural wonders, and certainly it was not due to simply this nature of the land of Israel that Hashem decided to bring us to Israel; to drink cups of milk with spoons of honey. Rather, the physical blessing which the land of Israel contains in having an abundance of date honey and milk is a reflection of the spiritual greatness of the land. It is due to this spiritual advantage that Hashem desired to give us Eretz Yisrael, and this was its precise praise. What is the spiritual advantage of milk and honey? Milk derives from the Sefira of Chesed while honey derives from the Sefira of Gevurah. This represents that in the land of Israel there is an abundance of flow of G-dliness from the Sefiros into the land. The purpose of creation is to make a dwelling place for Hashem through the performance of Torah and Mitzvos. The land of Israel is the only land equipped with the ability to draw down the G-dly light through performance of the Mitzvos, and make for Hashem a Dirah Betachtonim.

• The divine lesson: The state of Israel is not just the homeland of the Jewish people, but contains land which is the holiest place on earth. The fulfillment of Mitzvah’s and religious observance in the holy land of Israel and its effect above on high, is incomparable to the effect it has when fulfilled in the Diaspora. Several lessons can and should be learned from this revelation, including: 1) A renewed appreciation of living or visiting Israel and fulfilling Mitzvah’s while there. 2) Not to leave the holy land of Israel unnecessarily once one has merited to live there. This includes not to leave Israel for dream vacations in the Swiss Alps, or even the city of Eilat which is not part of the holy land Israel. One should only leave the holy land of Israel for those reasons permitted according to Jewish law which include for the sake of getting married, making a living, or physical and spiritual health reasons. Leaving Israel for a trip or vacation should not be taken lightly!

1. Why are majority of the Mitzvos dependent on Eretz Yisrael?

The land of Israel is the only land equipped with the ability to draw down the G-dly light through performance of the Mitzvos, and hence is the only land that can make for Hashem a Dirah Betachtonim. The performance of Mitzvos in other lands has limited ability to draw down the G-dly light. It is for this reason that only in the land of Israel is one able to fulfill a vast majority of the Mitzvah’s such as those Mitzvah’s relating to sacrifices and produce of the land. Now, although when the Jewish people were in the desert for 40 years they also offered sacrifices, this was merely temporary. Furthermore, the Mitzvah’s that were fulfilled by the Jewish people during their stay in the desert managed to draw G-dliness down only into the inner aspects of the spiritual worlds [and physical items], however not into their external aspects. Mitzvah fulfillment within the land of Israel has ability to draw G-dliness both into the internal and external aspect of the physical items.

1. Why did the Meraglim not desire to enter Eretz Yisrael?

There exist two forms of service of G-d, one is learning Torah and the second is doing Mitzvos. Learning Torah contains certain clear advantages over the performance of Mitzvos, such as the quality of unity with Hashem that is experienced when learning Torah, as well as the conscious enjoyment one feels in being active in understanding G-d’s wisdom. This is in contrast to Mitzvos which provide a lower level unity, and do not contribute any conscious affect on the person performing it. Furthermore, Mitzvos involve the physical world and require a person to mingle with the materialism and coarseness found within it. The Meraglim wanted to pursue a life of pure Torah learning and spiritual service, without needing to demote themselves to the performance of physical Mitzvos, which, as explained touches a lower level. It is for this reason that they desired to remain in the desert, as in the desert they were exempt from performing many Mitzvos, and thus could pursue this form of life. In truth, however, the Meraglim made a grave mistake in their perception of the importance of Mitzvos. While Mitzvos certainly involve the physical world, which is a low state of spiritual refinement, nevertheless, it is specifically the performance of these Mitzvos that allow a person to fulfill the original intent of creation which is to make for Hashem a dwelling place below. Furthermore, the power and greatness of Torah learning is only effective when one precedes it with the performance of Mitzvos. It is impossible to release the G-dly revelation affected through Torah learning without the performance of Mitzvos, and hence not only were the Meraglim missing out on the effective tools for performing a Dirah Betachtonim, but were lacking in the basic necessities required for their Torah learning to be affective.

Another perspective: Alternatively, one can explain the Meraglims mistaken perception as follows: The Meraglim understood that the performance of Mitzvos in Eretz Yisrael has ability to draw down a level of G-dly light, called Or Ein Sof, into this world, and they felt that doing so would be counterproductive. The coarseness of the world was unbefitting for such a revelation, and they thus felt that drawing it down would jeopardize their existence and their continued ability to serve Hashem. It is for this reason that they did not desire to enter Eretz Yisrael and begin the performance of Mitzvos, and they thus stated to Bnei Yisrael on their return from the trip that “The land eats its inhabitants,” meaning to say that the new method of Divine service which we will greet in Eretz Yisrael will threaten our existence as independent beings who can serve Hashem. They therefore desired to remain in the desert and draw down the G-dly light only into the spiritual world of Malchus, in which their existence will not be threatened. In truth however they made a grave mistake, as the entire purpose of creation is for exactly this purpose, for the Divine light of Or Ein Sof to be delivered into this physical world and make for Hashem a dwelling place below.

In other words: The Meraglim were rooted in the level of Leah, the world of thought and did not desire to enter Eretz Yisrael and thereby lower themselves into the world of Rachel which is Dibbur. Leah, thought, represents a high spiritual level that involves Divine service of the mind and heart, without resorting to performance of mere physical tasks included within the Mitzvos. Rachel, which is speech, represents action, which is from a revealed perspective, a diminished form of spiritual service that does not involve one’s mind or heart and simply requires one’s power of action in its performance. The Meraglim made a grave mistake, as the entire purpose of creation is for exactly this purpose, for the Divine light of Or Ein Sof to be delivered into this physical world and make for Hashem a dwelling place below.

1. The architecture of Gan Eden:

In Gan Eden reside millions upon millions of souls, and its structure must be made in a way that can host all these souls each on their own level. Gan Eden is built with many different buildings, called Heichalos, with each building containing many different compartments. Each Heichal offers a different revelation and experience to the souls and angels that are hosted there, and the chambers in each building contain different accommodations, all being varieties of the revelation offered in that chamber. Thus, there is a Heichal of Chesed which contains many chambers of variations of Chesed; a Heichal of Gevurah which contains many chambers of variations of Gevura. [Lehavdil, this is similar to a line of Hotels in which each Hotel offers different luxuries and amenities. Although all occupants of that hotel receive equal service and use of facilities, the rooms of the hotel differ from each other.] The purpose of these chambers is to reveal the G-dly light in a fashion that is limited and catered to the intellectual capabilities of the souls and angels found within. Both the Angels and souls found in each chamber sing and praise Hashem in accordance to their comprehension which is in accordance to the unique chamber that they are found within.

1. The purpose of Torah and Mitzvos:[3]

The main purpose of Torah and Mitzvos is to separate between the pure and impure, to refine the good from the evil. [Every physical object contains a mixture of good and evil, called Kelipas Nogah. The Mitzvos act as a vacuum which cleans all the dirt and evil from the object thus allowing it to become a receptacle for G-d’s revelation.] This purpose can only properly achieved in the holy land of Israel, as explained above in B.

1. Why Moshe did not merit to enter the holy land of Israel:

Famously, Moshe Rabbeinu did not merit to enter Eretz Yisrael despite his burning desire and supplication to G-d to allow him to enter. In total, he prayed to G-d 515 different prayers, which is the numerical value of Vaeschanon, in order to try to merit to enter the land of Israel. Why did Moshe feel such a need to enter the holy land? After all he was on a tremendously high level of G-dliness leading the generation known as the generation of knowledge [i.e. Dor Deah], and seemingly going into the holy land and being involved in the physical commandments would’ve been a demotion for him. [Seemingly, the Alter Rebbe is trying to say that it is indeed for this reason that Moshe did not merit to enter the holy land, as his holiness would’ve been in conflict with the quality of holiness found in the land of Israel. This is similar to the idea that Rashbi remained in a cave for 13 years and did not fulfill many of the physical Mitzvah’s while there. This is because he was on a level that is higher than the physical actions of Mitzvah’s, and the same applies regarding the entire generation of the desert, especially its leader Moshe.[4]] So, the reason that Moshe so badly wanted to enter is because he understood that although he is on a very high level, the purpose and main intent of creation is specifically fulfilled in the land of Israel through the fulfillment of the physical Mitzvah’s.

• Why the Rebbe did not enter the land of Israel: Many ask, and seemingly rightfully so, as to why the Lubavitcher Rebbe never once made a trip to visit the holy land of Israel. The Rebbe’s love for the land of Israel and the Jewish people living there was unprecedented, speaking of it in almost every talk. Now while various answers were personally given by the Rebbe to this question[5], such as that if he went he wouldn’t be able to leave, or that he cannot leave his followers, all of these answers seemingly do not explain him not making a short trip to at least visit the holy land and visit his followers who are there, following in the footsteps of his father-in-law who visited the holy land, and desired to do it a second time as well. Rather, we must conclude that there was some mystical reason behind this lack of visitation. Perhaps this reason is similar to the reason for why Moshe did not merit to enter into it even though that was the dream of his life, as some individuals are on such high spiritual levels that coming to the land of Israel creates some kind of spiritual conflict with their level. Perhaps the Rebbe was similar to Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai who G-d arranged to stay in a cave for 13 years despite his lack of ability to fulfill certain physical Mitzvah’s, and the Rebbe likewise needed to remain in the cave of exile within the Diaspora for a reason known only to him and G-d.

2^nd Mamar “Vayomru El Kol Adas”

1. Vayomru El Kol Adas:^[6]
2. How Mitzvah’s refine sparks of holiness found within physical objects:

Each and every physical object within this world contains within it great sparks of holiness that fell into it from the spiritual world of Tohu as a result of the breakage of the vessels. The sparks of holiness are trapped within the physical items until a Mitzvah is performed with it which then allows the spark to be released and reincorporated into the G-dliness that it derived from. How does this occur? When a person fulfills a Mitzvah such as shaking Esrog or wearing a Tallis, which is the will of G-d, with a physical item, he draws down the infinite light of G-d onto that object which automatically attracts the spark of holiness that is found within it [similar to a magnet that is attracted to metal], and hence the spark becomes incorporated within the infinite light of G-d.

The need for a Kosher Esrog and Kosher Tzitzis to achieve the elevation:[7] The elevation of the divine spark that is found and trapped within the physical object can only occur if indeed the Mitzvah is successful in drawing down the infinite light of G-d onto it, and this can only occur if the fulfillment of the Mitzvah is deemed valid according to Jewish law. For example, one must use specifically an Esrog fruit for the Mitzvah of Daled Minim. Furthermore, one must review the detailed Halachic criteria that deems an Esrog as valid, and then verify that the Esrog which he chose fulfills these criteria. Only then can fulfilling the Mitzvah be successful in drawing down the infinite light of G-d which then attracts and elevates the divine spark found within it. If the Esrog is invalid, irrelevant of reason, then it will be unsuccessful in drawing anything down and the spark of holiness will remain trapped within it. This applies even if one spent much money on the Esrog, and had tremendous concentration upon fulfilling the Mitzvah, and made sure to fulfill it with all of the scrupulous laws and customs. Nonetheless, if the object is even valid, nothing was accomplished. The same applies regarding Tzitzis, that if it is missing even one string it is invalid. [This refers to if it was tied with only three strings and not four, or if one string tore on both sides.] The reason that it is invalid is because the infinite light of G-d will not be able to reside upon this item, as there are very specific detailed criteria’s that must be fulfilled for the infinite light of G-d to dwell below.

Verifying the fulfillment of the criteria itself refines the object: [Let’s take the above teaching one step deeper. From the above it can be understood that for reasons not known to us, the infinite light of G-d can only reside on specific objects which fulfill specific criteria, hence explaining all of the detailed laws to validate something as Kosher. The Alter Rebbe now offers a deeper insight into understanding the multitude of details and criteria.] In order for the infinite light of G-d to reside below on an object, that object must be first refined from its evil. So long as the evil still remains within it, the infinite light of G-d cannot reside on it. The mere act of selecting an object which is deemed valid according to Jewish law accomplishes the separation of good from evil from the object. To make sure the object is Kosher one must sift through and validate all the required criteria. This act in its own right already manages to refine the object to a certain extent that it is now capable of drawing down the infinite light of G-d below through fulfilling the Mitzvah with the object. However, one who does not take the pain to verify the validity of the object, and sift through the object until he finds a valid one, then such an object still contains evil and hence cannot be successful in drawing G-dliness below.

• The Divine lesson: Everyone knows how demanding Jewish law can be. Aside for it covering almost every detail of one’s life, it micromanages every Mitzvah, stipulating its fulfillment with numerous criteria in order so it be valid. Take Tefillin for example, for the Mitzvah to be fulfilled dozens of detailed criteria must be met both for the Tefillin and for the person wearing them, and lack of fulfillment of any one of these details would deem the Mitzvah invalid. This can seem frustrating to the individual who questions why G-d needs such perfection for a Mitzvah to be valid. This can lead a person to being lax in being Mihader in a Mitzvah claiming what difference does it really make in G-d’s eyes if I fulfill the Mitzvah on its basic level or on a more Mehudar level. Likewise, on a more severe scale, this can lead to one not making himself knowledgeable of the detailed criteria required for the fulfillment of every Mitzvah, under the claim that G-d understands the intent and he doesn’t care that much if some details are missing. The above teaching of the Alter Rebbe can shed some very important light to this mistaken attitude. G-d created a system, and the system must be followed for it to work. No one receives a break or a way to circumvent it. The purpose of the Mitzvah’s is to draw down the infinite light of G-d and refine the sparks found in the objects of the Mitzvah, and this can only be accomplished when all criteria of the Mitzvah are met. If it is not met, then this will not be accomplished irrelevant of how good of an intent one had, as he has not gone through the process of refining the object from its evil. Perhaps, this can also explain the importance and mystical effect of being Mihader in a Mitzvah. Perhaps a basic level of fulfillment only draws down a basic level of the infinite light of G-d within the object, while a Mitzvah that is performed with Hiddur has ability to draw down a more refined level of the infinite light of G-d within the object, as the object has been more finely refined from its evil.

[1] Likkutei Torah p. 36b-52a

[2] Likkutei Torah p. 36b-37a

[3] Likkutei Torah p. 73

[4] Or Torah Shlach p. 444

[5] There exists a number of letters and recollections from private audiences, as well as replies to people during dollar distribution, in which the rebbe was asked this question and responded with a variety of different answers, never keeping to one single answer even to the same individual. In the diary of Rabbi Goren he writes that in the four audiences that he merited to have with the Rebbe, each time he would conclude the audience with a request for the rebbe to visit Israel, and each time the rebbe responded with a different answer!

[6] Likkutei Torah p. 37a-38b

[7] This novel and fascinating insight of Admur is discussed also in: Sefer Hamamarim Admur Hazakein 5567 p. 227; Or Hatorah Shlach p. 58